She Listens: Eternal Sunshine by Jhene Aiko

She Listens: Eternal Sunshine by Jhene Aiko

Maeve Binchy once said, “The great thing about getting older is that you become more mellow. Things aren’t as black and white, and you become much more tolerant. You can see the good in things much more easily rather than getting enraged as you used to do when you were young.

The song “Eternal Sunshine” by Jhene Aiko is the epitome of this quote.

Despite the singer being 27-years old, she starts the song off by crooning, “Is it strange for me to say that/ If I were to die today/There’s not a thing that I would change/I’ve lived well.”

She goes on to acknowledge that she has made mistakes and been hurt, but still claims that her life has been “well”. She also recognizes that in reflection of her life, she is only able to “recall all of the good things” that occurred.

The pre-hook and hook of the song is what really mirrors the ideology of the quote by Binchy. Aiko sings about how the more she experiences, the more knowledgeable she becomes. Besides this revelation, the song and quote also acknowledge that with age, comes a sense of euphoria.

You begin to hone in on the good things in your life.

What makes you happy?

Who makes you smile?

For those reasons this song inspires me to be a good person so that I can reflect on my life with the same appreciation that Maeve Binchy and Jhene Aiko have about there’s. Listening to this song, you may have a similar revelation or a different epiphany entirely.

Would you be okay if you died today?

Do you have good memories to reflect on?

Have you lived well?

 

She Empowers: 3 Lessons From A #GIRLBOSS, Miko Branch

She Empowers: 3 Lessons From A #GIRLBOSS, Miko Branch

This week’s #GIRLBOSS: Miko Branch

What makes her #GIRLBOSS certified: She is the Co-Founder, Creative Director and CO-CEO of the natural hair company, Miss Jessie’s and an author of Miss Jessie’s creating a successful business from scratch-naturally.

Figure out what works, regardless of conventional wisdom. Just because something has been done a certain way doesn’t mean that it should continue. The most successful business owners are also the greatest nonconformists.

-Miko Branch

 

  1. Don’t be ashamed of self-promotion

Many entrepreneurs shy away from promoting themselves, which is why it was so refreshing to see Miko’s Instagram feed filled with images and quotes of her book. Her love for her own work made me want to go and buy her book and fall in love with it.

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  1. Pay it forward

Miko takes the time out to pay it forward and help other inspiring entrepreneurs start up their business. She is constantly speaking at events that are for entrepreneurs, and her book is a whole guide on how to start a business from nothing.

 

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  1. Honor your story

Miko’s feed is filled with pride of her story. Be it, the good things, like her Asian heritage or the struggles, like her sister and business partner passing away in December, she wears her scars with courage and transparency. She doesn’t shy away from her story but instead embraces it and by doing so helps and inspires so many others.

 

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You Should Know Her: Emari Of Soul Style Beauty

You Should Know Her: Emari Of Soul Style Beauty

Q&A With @SoulStyleBeauty

 

~Who is Emari/ Soul Style Beauty?


SoulStyleBeauty is my platform name. It’s the name of my blog, YouTube channel and all other social media outlets. I have changed my name so many times! SoulStyleBeauty is what I came up with after 4 years of blogging and I think this is “the one”. As a blogger, you realize that as you grow it causes your content to change and even sometimes your blog name to change. Throughout the years of me blogging I finally came to realize what I truly had a passion for which is faith in Christ, mental hygiene/inner beauty, style and makeup.

 

~What does Soul Style Beauty represent?

 

SoulStyleBeauty represents a lot of things starting with my love for Jesus Christ. I am a Christian, before anything else. In addition to speaking about topics regarding spirituality and my walk with god, I love to discuss inner beauty. Character is so important! SoulStyleBeauty represents beauty starting from the inside out. I really want my viewers/readers to know that their outer appearance isn’t their best asset.

 

 

~When did Soul Style Beauty come about and when did you decide to present it to the world?

 

SoulStyleBeauty came about after I drew close to God in March 2014. I used to think about only outer appearance and my own good, totally ignoring inner beauty and individuals around me. Knowing that I was once an individual suffering from insecurities and self-value, I know how it feels and I had to speak up about it. I then decided to change my platform name to SoulStyleBeauty which better represents what I truly stand for.

 

~Why inspire/branch out via YouTube and social media?

 

YouTube and social media is extremely important at the moment. I feel that it is a way to reach people/brands from all around the world. I get extremely excited when looking at my demographic reports because I can see exactly where a viewer is in the world and that is truly amazing! That is exactly why I joined social media and YouTube. I want to inspire and serve people all around the world to become better individuals.

 

~Any inspirations? / What are you inspired by?

 

I am inspired by everyday life experiences and the issues that we as individuals go through. Truth is, we all have things that we struggle with and we are more relatable than we think we are. Sometimes all it takes is discussing your issues and what you go through. That discussion, that video that post can actually change someone’s life. 

 

~What can we look forward to with Soul Style Beauty?

 

The next thing to look forward to with Soul Style Beauty is my Ecommerce business and women empowerment groups (online and offline). I would love to give individuals the encouragement they need by creating groups to discuss issues that they may face. I also would like to have my own Ecommerce website selling inspirational products such as books, apparel and items for surfaces in your home/office.

 

~1-3 Youtubers/ social media pages you could not go without viewing? Why

 

I have a lot of favorites YouTubers, but the below ladies are my favorites. Whether it’s driving women to Christ, giving women advice on everyday struggles, or even showing women that they can do it all, all of the below women best exemplifies a role model. 

  1. Simply Feli
  2. BronzeGoddess01
  3. Shameless Maya
She Connects: In Its Time

She Connects: In Its Time

God has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11    

Time. A four-letter word that means everything in life. Time is defined as, “an appointed, fixed, or customary moment or hour for something to happen, begin, or end.”(Merriam-Webster, 2015) In life, there is truly a time for everything, and I have come to learn that whether we are prepared or not, when that moment arrives there’s nothing that can stop what’s meant to happen at that moment. Time is truly a gift, when utilized properly it allows the opportunity to prepare for what’s to come. It is often the defining factor in whether endeavors succeed or fail. Especially, when we don’t allow ourselves to embrace the process that is vital to the maturation of our dreams, goals, purpose, and plans.

“God has made everything beautiful in its time.” There is an appointed time for all things to happen, begin, or end and when we allow God to prepare us for that time, we will see the results that we desire. We will see things happen in the way they were meant to unfold. How often have you have allowed yourself to move before it was time? What were your results and were they favorable to your desired outcome? Consider what would happen if you were to move your car into traffic before you had the right-of-way, before the light changed, and gave you the signal that it was time to safely proceed. In the same way that you wouldn’t move your car into the danger of bustling traffic, you should exercise the same caution when pursuing various endeavors in life. Timing is everything!

Fear. A different four-letter word that can have profound effects on the very trajectory of your life. It can derail your plans and hold you back from your goals, dreams, visions, and greatest aspirations…if you allow it. I know, because for many years, honestly for as long as I can remember, I allowed some element of fear to control me. I realized that it was the element of the unknown and my desire to control outlying factors that grounded me. That weight held me down and kept me from fully pursuing ALL that God had for me. Then one day, I read a quote by T.D. Jakes that I’ve since started to see everywhere in some variation or another. “Feel the fear and do it anyway!” That day, life changed forever. I realized the time had come for me to face my fears and do what was necessary to fulfill my purpose; in spite of the fear I felt.

When you allow yourself to feel the emotions necessary to fuel your dreams and plans you can truly be unstoppable. In the same respect, when you allow an emotion as daunting as fear to hinder you, you can disfigure your life in ways that some never recover from. Time is fleeting, and with every passing minute you have the opportunity and responsibility to defeat fear. Take it! Every single chance you get.

Believe in the unknown. Not because you fear it, but because you EMBRACE it! Believe there are many good things specifically set aside for you-even if you can’t physically see them yet. Everything won’t always be a fight or a struggle, but know that you are prepared to deal with either. Have some confidence, good things can and will happen for you; furthermore, understand that these things will come to you in the time they are meant to, and not a moment before. These things are for your advancement and your purpose to show you that there’s beauty beyond pain, beyond failure, and beyond mistakes! The lessons that you are yet learning are for your good. It’s never about what you’ve “lost” and ALWAYS what you GAIN, because what’s meant for you will ALWAYS find a way! Never stop picking up jewels along your journey. Wisdom and discernment are granted to those in a position to handle them. Rather you believe it or not, you had to experience it to truly learn from it! So, believe in the lessons, believe in yourself, but most importantly believe GOD! With your whole heart, trust that you are ready for a time such as this.

You ARE ready for this!…It’s time.

She Empowers: 3 Lessons from a GIRLBOSS’ Instagram Feed, Jessica Alba

She Empowers: 3 Lessons from a GIRLBOSS’ Instagram Feed, Jessica Alba

This week’s #GIRLBOSS: JESSICA ALBA

What makes her #GIRLBOSS certified: She is the founder of eco-friendly company, The Honest Company, that’s worth just under $1 billion dollars, a movie star and a phenomenal mom!

I wish there were two of me and 48-hour days so I could get everything done. But for me, I have to not try and think that everything has to be 100% perfect all the time and leave room for error. As long as my kids feel loved and a priority, everything really is secondary.

-Jessica Alba

 

  1. Work out with your friends

Being a #GIRLBOSS requires constant effort towards your work! However you can get burned out if you don’t take timeout of your day just for you! Working out is a great way to have time for yourself and Jessica prefers to do it with friends! Working out with friends makes it more fun and more enjoyable! Grab some friends and head to the gym for a sweat session!JessicaAlbaIG2

 

  1. Take a Zen Moment

It’s important to take a moment of calm throughout the day of a #GIRLBOSS! Jessica reminds us how important it is to quite our minds and breathe. As a #GIRLBOSS our agenda can get pretty hectic, so take it from Jessica and have a Zen moment for peace and clarity!

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  1. Family time is crucial

Jessica is constantly posting pictures of the time she takes for her family! If you are a #GIRLBOSS mommy, then you already know how important it is to take time to specifically for family! Jessica teaches us that it’s important to have fun family time where work is not in sight!

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